How Do We Know What They Know? A Case Study of Classroom-Based Assessment with Multilingual Learners
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| Title: | How Do We Know What They Know? A Case Study of Classroom-Based Assessment with Multilingual Learners |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Colleen Fitzpatrick (ORCID |
| Source: | Theory and Research in Social Education. 2024 52(4):497-531. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 35 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research Tests/Questionnaires |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education Grade 11 |
| Descriptors: | High School Students, High School Teachers, United States History, Local History, Grade 11, Multilingualism, English (Second Language), Performance Based Assessment, Multiple Choice Tests, Testing Problems, Test Validity, Vocabulary Development, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Teacher Effectiveness |
| Geographic Terms: | Virginia |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00933104.2024.2335236 |
| ISSN: | 0093-3104 2163-1654 |
| Abstract: | We employed qualitative research methods to examine student learning in context during a teacher's unit on 1920s-Great Depression in an 11th grade United States & Virginia History class in a standards-based setting with a high-stakes end-of-course test. We focused on four focal students (all of whom were classified as English learners at some point during their education) and collected extensive data to investigate whether these students learned and how they experienced and described their learning from regular classroom instruction. Despite receiving the same instruction, student learning, as measured by the summative assessment, differed greatly, and it was unclear if students learned the historical content. Teaching to the test (e.g., lecture-focused, didactic, narrow fact-focused instruction) did not yield improved results on the multiple-choice test. These findings problematize the use of multiple-choice testing, emphasize the need for explicit academic vocabulary scaffolds for multilingual learners, and highlight the importance of formative assessment. We argue that the conception of teacher as curricular-instructional gate-keeper needs to be expanded to curricular-instructional-assessment gate-keeper. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1451574 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | We employed qualitative research methods to examine student learning in context during a teacher's unit on 1920s-Great Depression in an 11th grade United States & Virginia History class in a standards-based setting with a high-stakes end-of-course test. We focused on four focal students (all of whom were classified as English learners at some point during their education) and collected extensive data to investigate whether these students learned and how they experienced and described their learning from regular classroom instruction. Despite receiving the same instruction, student learning, as measured by the summative assessment, differed greatly, and it was unclear if students learned the historical content. Teaching to the test (e.g., lecture-focused, didactic, narrow fact-focused instruction) did not yield improved results on the multiple-choice test. These findings problematize the use of multiple-choice testing, emphasize the need for explicit academic vocabulary scaffolds for multilingual learners, and highlight the importance of formative assessment. We argue that the conception of teacher as curricular-instructional gate-keeper needs to be expanded to curricular-instructional-assessment gate-keeper. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0093-3104 2163-1654 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00933104.2024.2335236 |
